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Does the US have zero employee protection laws?? (lemmy.nz)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by luthis@lemmy.nz to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

156 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Just following on from this: https://lemmy.nz/post/1134134

Ex-Tesla employee reveals shocking details on worker conditions: 'You get fired on the spot.'

I'm curious about how far this goes.

You can't get fired on the spot in NZ, unless you like, shot someone or set the building on fire or something really bad.

But it seems that in the US, there's little to no protections for employees when their bosses are dickheads?

Also, any personal stories of getting fired on the spot?

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[–] dingus@lemmy.ml 132 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's not that there aren't any, it's that the protections for workers are abysmal compared to protections for businesses.

For example, if I stole money from my employer, they could have me arrested and press charges for theft.

On the other hand, if I am able to prove that my employer hasn't been paying me fairly and has been shorting my paychecks, I can spend a lot of money to take them to court, and in most cases, all that will happen is the business will have to... pay you back exactly what they already owed you. They won't pay fines, no one will go to jail, and it's an "oops" and then slap on the wrist kind of deal.

Worker protections exist, but the deck is stacked against us.

[–] Bitrot@lemmy.sdf.org 36 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Doesn’t even have to be directly stealing money, “time theft” can be prosecuted.

[–] blue_zephyr@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago

The Netherlands had a recent court ruling that established that if the employer is satisfied with your performance, then it doesn't matter how much time you spent doing your job. This was in a case recarding a man secretly working multiple jobs.

[–] AOCapitulator@hexbear.net 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

wage theft is literally the largest form of theft in the WORLD by the way

[–] barrbaric@hexbear.net 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You're thinking of wage theft. "Time theft" is when you slack off on the job.

[–] AOCapitulator@hexbear.net 3 points 1 year ago

yeah you rite

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

I think you mean wage theft. Time theft isn't that big.

[–] oatscoop@midwest.social 4 points 1 year ago

Or you could file a complaint with the DOL and let them take care of it -- they do not fuck around.